Burying the Hatchet
Why do people bury items with their dead? We provide a theory of grave goods as a mechanism to mitigate internal conflict. Where inheritance laws are ambiguous and low-cost mechanisms for dispute resolution do not exist, deliberately destroying wealth can prevent conflict over the redistribution of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
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| Online Access: | http://www.cairn.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=REDP_306_0183 http://www.cairn.info/revue-d-economie-politique-2020-6-page-1025.htm |
| Summary: | Why do people bury items with their dead? We provide a theory of grave goods as a mechanism to mitigate internal conflict. Where inheritance laws are ambiguous and low-cost mechanisms for dispute resolution do not exist, deliberately destroying wealth can prevent conflict over the redistribution of assets following a death. Rather than engage in costly infighting over inheritance, the parties agree to mutual destruction through a shared cultural practice of grave goods. We test our theory using evidence from saga era Vikings. JEL codes: N4, K0, D3, H1 Grave Goods, Vikings, Medieval Iceland, Conflict, Inheritance |
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